Stibbe's Platoon

This is a breakdown of the men who formed platoon seven, column 5 of the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade in 1943. The platoon was one of the Infantry Rifle platoons in the column and was commanded by Lieutenant Philip Godfrey Stibbe (pictured left).

Generally, Stibbe’s Platoon 7 was used as a rear guard to protect both its own column and that of Brigade HQ on many occasions during the operation in 1943. It also did more than its share of Perimeter duty, guarding the sleeping bivouac at night. Column 5 was arguably the most unlucky of units in relation to the amount of contact with the enemy and the amount of supply drops it received, or should I say did not receive. The battle at Hintha around the 28th March was Platoon 7’s most disastrous engagement, claiming the lives of over half their number, either KIA or captured to die as POW’s.

They also supplied perimeter protection while the demolition experts of the column went to work on the railway and bridge at Bonchaung on the 6th March. It is possible I suppose that my Grandfather was a member of this platoon, but there is no real proof of this from the information I have unearthed so far. I did attempt to make contact in 2009 with Philip Stibbe's son Mark, but to no avail.

Philip was born in Leicester in 1921 and had attended Merton College, Oxford, just before WW2 broke out. He enlisted into the Army straight from college in the summer of 1940. He found himself an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment and then in May 1942, aboard the troopship 'Athlone Castle' and headed for India. With him were fellow fledgling officers from the regiment, George Borrow, Peter Bennett, John Francis Pickering and David McDonald Rowland.

To read more about the voyage to India and the men from the Sussex Regiment, please click on the link here: Six Sussex New Boys

Lieutenant Stibbe was placed into Chindit Column number 5 under the original command of Captain Ted Waugh and his training commenced. By his own admission he had a fairly smooth time whilst training, but did rely heavily on his superb team of NCO's. Men such as Sergeant Marchbank and Sergeant John Thornborrow MM. From his book about his time in Burma, 'Return via Rangoon', it is clear that he was a popular officer who took time out to learn the background and foibles of his men. He often listened to them chatting whilst in bivouac, in an attempt to understand how they were feeling and what made them tick as a unit of soldiers.

His book (front cover of the first edition seen right) was one of the first Chindit books I ever read and covers both training and the point of view of the POW very well. Stibbe was wounded during the action in the village of Hintha in late March 1943, it was here that column 5 lost it's cohesion as a full unit and fragmented into smaller groups of men.

A young Burma Rifleman, Maung Tun offered to remain with the badly wounded Stibbe near the village (Hintha), in the hope that with some rest the officer might be able to recover and continue the march out of Burma. Sadly, this was not to be the case and Maung Tun was captured by the Japanese while searching for food and water for his charge. Refusing to divulge Stibbe's whereabouts, cost the brave soldier his life and is the reason why Philip Stibbe dedicates his book to the memory of Burma Rifleman.

Stibbe himself is captured on the 31st of March and begins his long period as a prisoner of war to the Japanese. He makes the journey down to Rangoon Jail, having passed through all the usual POW camps on the way, places like Bhamo jail and the Chindit concentration camp at Maymyo. POW number 33 in Rangoon, he settles down to prison life in Block 3 after a period in solitary confinement. In April 1945 he is selected as one of the 'fit' prisoners and is marched out of the jail toward the Siam borders. As one of the Pegu marchers (see Chindit POW's) he marches alongside the South African RAF pilot Greg Kirwan, both are liberated in early May 1945, when the Japanese finally give up their POW's and flee over the Sittang Bridge for the last time.

Here, in no particular order are the men from platoon 7:

Sergeant Robert Marchbank was Stibbe's original platoon sergeant during training at Saugor. His potential was seen by higher command and he was promoted to Quartermaster of Northern Section's HQ. He ended up with column 8 on operation Longcloth in 1943.

Sergeant 3599442 John Thornborrw MM. Marchbank's replacement and a very experienced soldier, he led the platoon with great skill and devotion. He survived the operation, dispersing with Denny Sharp's party in April 1943. He gave several witness statements about the fate of other personnel on his return to India. These included reports on Albert Berry and Robert Handley.

Sergeant 3779439 James Drummond. This 5' 6" Liverpudlian died from a gunshot wound to the chest during the lead up to the demolitions at Bonchaung Gorge on 6th March 1943. James was not serving with Stibbe's Platoon at this stage, he had been promoted to Sergeant towards the end of 1942 and had taken up the role of Section Leader in Lieutenant John Kerr's Rifle Platoon 8. Sergeant Drummond died from his wounds in the village of Kyaik-in, close to the railway town of Bonchaung.

Corporal 3781567 George Litherland. The column barber and section commander in platoon 7. Wounded by shrapnel from a grenade explosion at Hintha, he was led away by two other men from column 5, Hardy and Piercy. He later became a POW, number 490, but sadly died in Rangoon Jail on 10th October 1943. To read more about George Litherland and the men who assisted him at Hintha, please click on the following link: Piercy, Hardy and Litherland

Corporal 3779430 Albert Berry. Killed in Action on the 28th March during a bayonet charge at Hintha.

Corporal 3769092 Robert William Handley. Killed in Action on the same bayonet charge as Albert Berry.

Private 5120086 Harold Baxter. This soldier had caused consternation, and for some amusement, when he lost his Bren gun and the mule carrying it, down a large water well in Saugor during training. After dispersal was called Baxter joined up with column 7 at the Shweli River and attempted to escape via the Chinese borders. He died on 29th April 1943. Here is the witness statement concerning his death:

From Ptes. Baddiley and Carless: “Pte. H. Baxter died early in May. He was suffering from beri beri and would no longer eat. He was buried in our presence at the village of Sima, which lies to the south of Fort Morton."

Private 3649326 William Dunn.Stibbe's batman, chosen for the job during early training at Mathlone, India. He was wounded during the bayonet charge at the Hintha engagement, and was last seen by Corporal Dorans, heading back to the medical treatment area. He died that same day (28th March 1943). From Stibbe's book comes this quote about Dunn:

“I decided to try Dunn as my batman, he had been a leather worker from Warrington. He was dark and well built, a good swimmer and, although had always lived in a town, he had liked country pursuits. He looked after me admirably and kept me amused with his witty and sometimes caustic comments on life. Often he gave me very sound advice when asked, and occasionally, very respectfully, when not asked”.

Pte. Patrick Feeney.Stibbe's 'runner', or messenger in Platoon 7. One of the few men from platoon 7 to make it back to India in 1943. Emigrated to Canada shortly after the war, died in 1993.

Pte. Thomas Dennett.It has always been a difficult task to determine which one of the Dennett twins was groom to Flight Lieutenant Sharp and which was groom to Lieutenant Stibbe. In Stibbe's own words, both were identical. Logic and common sense (something that rarely applied during the first Chindit operation) would suggest that Thomas, as Sharp's groom would march alongside the Flight-Lieutenant at the forefront of the dispersing column after Hintha. If this was the case then he would not have been aware of the ambush by the Japanese and that his brother had been separated from the main body of the column. Thomas and around twenty other men returned to India with Flight-lieutenant Sharp in late April 1943.

Pte. 3656706 Arthur Dennett.Twin brother of above. Both from Warrington, and both moved away with Denny Sharp after dispersal was called at Hintha, but Arthur was among the 100 or so men who were cut off from the main body by a Japanese ambush approximately two miles outside the village. Arthur was groom to Philip Stibbe's horse during training and on the operation in 1943. When Lieutenant Stibbe was wounded and eventually left behind at Hintha, Arthur Dennett would have joined up with the rest of the column as they marched away.

After the ambush he joined up with Column 7 at the Shweli River and was placed into the dispersal party of Lieutenant Musgrave-Wood, which aimed to exit Burma via Fort Hertz and so had spent some of his last few days as a free man with my Grandad and other men such as Leon Frank and James Ambrose. He was last seen in the village of Lewein on the 30th April, but sadly died of beri beri combined with dysentery in Block 6 of Rangoon Jail on the 27th July (see Japanese index card below). Arthur Dennett was buried in the English Cantonment Cemetery, his POW number was 431.

To read more about Thomas and Arthur, please click on the following link: The Dennett Twins

Pte. 5116611 Alfred Nicholls. This soldier managed to remain in column 5 after dispersal at Hintha, but became one of the 40 or so men trapped on the sandbank in what turned out to be the middle of the river Shweli. Most of the men from the column set off over the last 80 or so yards on April 1st 1943, braving the fast flowing river and treacherous footing to reach the far bank. For one reason or another some men refused to chance the crossing and these men became POW's. Alfred was one of the few men from column 5 to survive Rangoon Jail and was liberated in early May 1945. He died in 1991. His Japanese index card can be seen above, it clearly shows his date of capture as 02/04/43 and his POW number as 340.

Pte. 3779347 John Henry Cobb. This man died on the 28th March and was also part of the Hintha bayonet charge. For more information about John Henry Cobb, please click on the following link: Pte. John Henry Cobb

Pte. 4202370 William Roche. This soldier tended Stibbe's wound at Hintha before he (Stibbe) was left with Maung Tun, later attempting to disperse with Denny Sharp's party he had to be left himself at a village called Nankhin. He was taken prisoner and died in Rangoon on 18th January 1944. His POW number was 445 and he was buried in the English Cantonment Cemetery, grave number 145.

Pte. 3779403 Thomas Byrne. Described by Stibbe as a large red headed Liverpudlian and former wrestler, he was praised on several occasions for his soldiering skills. This knowledge makes it all the more intriguing that Byrne became lost to the column in March 1943, when he left the main group to return to the previous days camp, where he had left some of his ammunition. He survived his time as a POW in Rangoon and returned home to Liverpool in late 1945. Pte. Byrne's story is intrinsically linked to that of the man listed below, Pte. Dennis Walmsley. To read more about Thomas Byrne and his time in Burma during WW2, please click on the following link: Pte. Tommy Byrne

Lance Corporal 3780147 Dennis Walmsley. Lost on the line of march on the 16th March 1943, he was out searching for fresh water for the column. Taken prisoner the next day, Dennis died in Block 6 of Rangoon Jail on the 17th May 1944, his POW number was 412. To read more about Dennis, please click on the following link and scroll down to the fourth story on the page: Dennis Walmsley

Pte. Davies. This man replaced William Dunn as Lieutenant Stibbe's batman. He is one of five men from operation Longcloth with the surname Davies and it is my belief that he made it back to India in 1943.

Pte. 5112606 James Boyle. Led the wounded Stibbe out of Hintha on horseback. He was later captured on the Shweli sandbank on the 1st April and spent the next two years in Rangoon Jail. He was liberated with the Pegu marchers in early May 1945. James received a Mention in Despatches for his time in Burma which was gazetted in July 1946, presumably for his actions as a POW.

Pte. 5957100 John Stanley Fuller. Possibly platoon 7? Was killed fighting close by to Captain Alec McDonald and Sergeant Pester at Hintha.

Pte. 5627646 George Harry Gray. From a letter written by an officer from column 5, possibly Philip Stibbe, comes this MIA report:"Gray, a French polisher from East London, was asked to meet John Kerr’s group at Taungmaw on the 5th March (1943) and lead this platoon back to the main column. He never made contact and has not been seen since."

Rangoon War Cemetery epitaph.

The Rangoon Memorial, Taukkyan War Cemetery.

Corporal Albert Berry.

To bring this story to a fitting conclusion, here are two photographs (above) from my trip to Burma in 2008. On the left you have the inscription at the entrance to Rangoon War Cemetery, in which all the men from Stibbe's platoon who died in Rangoon Jail are buried. The other image is of the Rangoon Memorial at Taukkyan War Cemetery. This cemetery is found on the outskirts of Rangoon and the memorial displays the names of men who died during that campaign, but who have no known grave, brave men such as Berry, Handley, Drummond, Baxter and Dunn.

Update 20/04/2014.

By good fortune, whilst glancing through some old posts on the WW2Talk website, I happened upon a group of photographs which formed part of the 'War Illustrated' magazines pictorial Roll of Honour for 1939-45. Amongst the 1000+ images was one of Corporal Albert Berry who had lost his life in 1943 during the battle at Hintha.

Pte. John Stanley Fuller.

Update 05/03/2015.

This photograph of Stan Fuller was sent to me by the family of Pte. Gerald Desmond another soldier from 5 Column in 1943. Both these men were good friends during training in India and served with the 142 Commando platoon in Bernard Fergusson's unit.

Pte. Fuller was killed at the battle of Hintha on the 28th March and is remembered upon the Rangoon War Memorial at Taukkyan War Cemetery. Pte. Desmond was captured by the Japanese in mid-April 1943 and spent just over two years in Rangoon Jail as a prisoner of war.

After receiving an email enquiry via this website from a fellow researcher looking into the Old Boys from Norwich School who were killed during WW1, I became aware of more information in relation to Philip Stibbe and his career after WW2.

The new information comes from the book, The History of Norwich School, compiled by Richard Harries, Paul Cattermole and Peter MacKintosh.

Philip Stibbe had succeeded Stuart M. Andrews as Headmaster in 1975 after a period of radical change at the school. It was now Stibbe's turn to guide the school through the new and uncertain times of non-direct grant funding and other governmental changes to the education system at that time.

The History recalls Stibbe's appointment in 1975 as:

"A surprising decision, since Stibbe was in his middle fifties at the time, whereas Andrews was only forty-two when he moved to Clifton (his new appointment). All the same, the Governor's choice turned out to have been wise; a revolution had been carried out adventurously by a brilliant young man, and the process of consolidation which now must follow would be most safely conducted by an older man of long experience. Consolidation however did not mean stagnation, for Stibbe had his own ideas to carry out."

Previously a Housemaster at Bradfield College in Reading, Stibbe was known for his liberal minded approach to management, a style he maintained during his time at Norwich.

"His geniality, kind-heartedness and concern for both boys and colleagues were evident to all, and he was deservedly popular both within the school and among the parents, who responded warmly to him. Cool in moments of tension, he was all the same not a man to seek encounters with those who disagreed with him, and usually got his way by quiet diplomacy and edging round obstacles which would have defied a head-on attack. By nature he was a politician rather than a soldier."

Philip's wife, Joy also took an active role in the running of Norwich School, taking care of the renovations to the Chapel, maintaining and cataloguing the school's impressive collection of artwork and re-designing the school gardens.

Stibbe worked extremely hard to keep school places open to the less well off. He developed his own strategy for privately sponsored scholarships and participated in the new government scheme for assisted placements at the school. He introduced a new intake for seven year olds within the Preparatory Department and had new buildings constructed to accommodate these new students.

Perhaps the most important project during Stibbe's tenure was the restoration of the school Chapel. This went along with Stibbe's strongly held view, that spiritual development was an essential part of a well balanced education. He introduced reform to the school House system, as well as introducing universal class setting across all academic subjects and reducing class size through increased staff numbers.

He improved the school curriculum in subjects such as Design and Technology and Music and introduced Computer Technology in 1980, purchasing no less than three computers for his students at that time. Overseas expeditions were encouraged to help broaden student knowledge and experience. Stibbe's own strong social conscience led to the development of the 'Community Service Volunteers Group' at Norwich, an initiative to increase links with and aid for the local community.

Philip Stibbe believed positively in the physical well being of his students and championed the more individualistic sports such as tennis, squash and fencing, feeling that the more traditional team games were already well catered for. He was responsible for the planning of a new sports pavilion in the Lower Close section of the school, a project that was completed two years after his retirement.

Philip Stibbe's time at Norwich was an exceedingly successful one. He had steered the school through the challenging changes in admissions, funding and fee setting. He had increased student numbers considerably and improved many of the school facilities and buildings, but had still balanced the books whilst doing so. More than anything else, he had created a welcoming environment for students, parents and staff to enjoy during their time at the school. To this end, the news of his planned retirement in 1984 was greeted with much sadness and regret.

I would like to thank Jennifer Pearce for her assistance in referring me to the book, A History of Norwich School. Seen below is a photograph of Norwich Cathedral with the schools Lower Close Sports field in the foreground, including on the right hand side the pavilion and buildings conceived and designed by Philip Stibbe.